Publications cited in the present specification are incorporated by reference.
When a feedstock for ruminants has a content of biologically active constituent, a substantial amount of the said constituent (e.g., protein, aminoacids, and the like) is degraded to ammonia or carbon dioxide gas by microorganisms in the rumen. This prevents effective utilization of the administered biologically active constituent in the feedstock.
When special nutrients or medicaments are administered to ruminants, it is essential to protect these ingredients from decomposition in the rumen. The objective is to pass the said ingredients through the rumen to the omasum, and subsequently to the abomasum and absorption by the small intestine.
There are ongoing research and development activities which are seeking to achieve ruminant feedstock supplements which have the desired rumen-bypass properties. Rumen-bypass formulations are reported in numerous publications such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,842,863; 4,948,589; 5,023,091; 5,064,665; 5,093,128; 5,571,527; 5,633,004; 5,635,198; 6,203,829 and 6,306,427. There is further disclosure in WO2004/080197-A2 (PCT) and references cited therein.
Special effort has been directed to achieving rumen-bypass protection for essential aminoacids which supplement feedstocks for milk-producing ruminants.
It is known that lysine and methionine are important for milk production in dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science, 70, 789 (1987) reports that rumen-protected lysine increased feed intake, milk yield and 4% fat-corrected milk production in dairy cows; rumen-protected methionine and lysine increased production of milk protein in dairy cows.
Similar results are reported in Journal of Dairy Science, 72, 1484 (1989); 72, 1800 (1989); 73, 135 (1990); and 74, 2997 (1991). Data also indicated that added fat increased the percentage and yield of long-chain fatty acids in cow milk. Adding ruminally-protected aminoacids to fat-supplemented diets appeared to alleviate the milk protein depression observed with added lipids in feedstock.
Because of the significant economic consequences of rumen-bypass undegraded dietary nutrient transport, there is continuing interest in the development of superior rumen-bypass feedstock supplements to promote these prospective advantages.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide ruminant feedstocks which are supplemented with a rumen-protected biologically active content for advancing ruminant husbandry and for providing value added meat and dairy products for human consumption.
It is another object of this invention to provide rumen-bypass dietary supplements to stabilize and maintain the health of ruminants, and to improve the lactational performances of dairy ruminants.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide rumen-bypass dietary supplements which deliver post-rumen undegraded aminoacids in milk-producing dairy cattle for increased milk yield and increased production of milk protein.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an efficient process for producing a rumen-bypass dietary supplement in compacted particulate form, which supplement has the capability of passing between about 20-99 percent of its rumen-protected biologically active content to the post-rumen digestive system of ruminants.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention shall become apparent from the accompanying description and example data.